News is out: Friendster will cease to operate as a social networking site effective June 1, having been reformatted to a primarily-games-website. While this is supposed to be BIG news, I surmise that people will still be busy harvesting crops in Farmville as the countdown nears its end.
Now while I am not exactly big on Facebook (i.e. I’d take the time to wait on my friends’ minute to minute status updates or check who’s birthday is up this week), I do recognize the fact that Facebook has spawned a universe of its own. Facebook is practically untouchable and no social networking site is, as of this writing, at par or at least near parallel to its power. Suffice to say that while Facebook has already built a mansion at the farther end of a hill, Friendster is just crossing the bridge to that hill to start construction.
But paying tribute to nostalgia, Friendster does bring to mind some pretty unforgettable moments: The excitement over a newly-written, genuine testimonial from a friend. That time when tinkering with a new wallpaper and posting shoutouts served as an instant remedy to boredom. Putting up dramatic blog entries and receiving sincere compliments from a random visitor. That time when you and your boyfriend shamelessly exchanged I love yous in the comments box. That time when the only universe the Philippines survived, breathed in, and recognized was Friendster, and all of us communed to make that empire flourish with random thoughts and a pile of new photos.
But just like any empire, Friendster was also bound to fall.
It’s sad when I think about the photos and testimonials I lost. Ah, those little trinkets of friendship, love and grandeur. But that’s the natural flow of things, I guess. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow, a smokin’ hot social media tool would be out there, toppling Facebook over.
Now may be a good time to CTRL+S.
